Belated Birthday
by Annamonk
Summary: Ron and Harry show up the morning after Hermione's birthday party, but they're the ones in for a surprise. It's not my sandbox, but it's so much fun playing there.


Draco wrenched himself up from the warmth of his fiancée's embrace when a strange high pitched keening ripped him from sleep with an adrenaline jolt the like of which he hadn't felt since the war. His bleary eyes focused on the red headed menace Hermione protected with the magic best friend appellation. The weasel was, of course, the source of the distressing noise. A quick wandless silencio stopped the caterwauling, but the other protected one was standing there with steely eyes and a steady wand.

"Granger." Draco shoved her shoulder lightly. "You need to get up. Seems we have a bit of an issue here."

"It's just Ronald." She mumbled into her pillow. "He probably saw a spider."

"I don't think it was a spider, Love." Draco raised a brow at the pair and their very insistent wands. The birthday balloons bouncing against the ceiling trailed strands of ribbon behind them, and the colorful mass of badly wrapped presents on the floor before them told him all he needed to know.

"Well, what the bloody hell else makes him scream like that?" She pushed up on one arm and the blanket started to slide, revealing her bare shoulder.

He was thankful for the silencio as Weasley was obviously lost in the throws of a screaming fit. The odd purple of his face clashed badly with the bright orange of his hair. Draco considered summoning some spiders, but figured that might violate one of Hermione's rules.

She had a lot of them, but the most important kept him from hexing her idiotic friends.

"Where is he?" Hermione held the blanket to her chest and blinked up at him. He resisted the urge to kiss her. There was nothing more appealing to him than the love of his life with her hair mussed from sleep, but he wasn't a fool. Potter was still staring at him with death in his emerald eyes.

"He's right here, Mione." Potter shifted slightly on his feet. "Move away from the ferret, and we will get this all sorted."

Draco managed not to smirk when her eyes widened in realization. She yanked the blanket up to her chin and flipped over to face their visitors. He saw the power crackle in her hair and relaxed. She probably wouldn't kill them, but they weren't going to like what she had to say.

"Why are you here?" She pushed up to a sitting position and dragged the blanket up revealing his bare legs.

"We forgot last night and wanted to make it up to you." Potter's wand was down against his thigh. He hadn't put it away, but he had sense enough not to point it at her.

"So, you forgot and decided to drop by unannounced with balloons and presents in hopes I would forget or at very least forgive you for failing to show up to my birthday party." Hermione shook her head. "What was more important than me this time? Quidditch? Some bet with Seamus? Navel gazing?"

"It wasn't like that." Harry shifted from foot to foot.

"It's always like that." Hermione tossed her hair back. "For the last six months, it's been lame excuse after lame excuse."

"Is that why you're..." Harry waved his empty hand about in an odd jerky movement. "With him?"

"Six months is a long time." Hermione's hair was sparking and starting to rise around her head like a nimbus. "We'd been dating for a while when I asked the both of you to dinner. I cooked. Draco managed not to complain about the meal. It was a great night, but I didn't hear from you until the next day."

Weasley started to jump and clutch at his throat. Hermione rolled her eyes and flicked her fingers.

"We need to get a team here, Harry." The redhead raised his wand a few inches. "He's had her under the imperious for months."

"She's not imperiused, you moron." Draco rolled his eyes and summoned a pair of trousers from the wardrobe. He didn't feel like sitting around bare arsed with stupid people.

"He's got clothes here?" The weasel was pointing wildly with his wand and his empty hand.

Hermione huffed and transformed the duvet into a dress once he'd managed to cover himself.

"You were the one that said they'd understand." Draco smirked at her. "Even Lovegood thought you were off your gourd."

"She did not." Hermione planted her hands on her hips.

"Luna knows about this?" Potter stepped forward and kicked one of the boxes across the room.

"Oh, one of my gifts." Hermione summoned the package and shook it lightly. "Let me guess. A book?"

"Of course, it's a bloody book." Ronald shook his head. "You love to bury yourself in them."

"Are they all books?" Hermione gestured to the brightly covered packages.

"No." Harry shook his head. "There's some of that ink you like and some new quills."

"When did you buy all of this largesse?" Hermione tipped her chin up, and Draco shivered.

"We picked it up this morning." Weasley shrugged a shoulder. "But we need to discuss the company you're keeping."

"The company I'm keeping?" Hermione smiled and held her hand out to Draco. "You mean the wizard I'm going to marry?"

"Marry?" The weasel turned to Potter. "She's been potioned. There is no way our Hermione would do this."

"She's wearing the Malfoy betrothal ring." Draco grabbed her hand and raised it. "I spent three months fighting with my father to get it for her."

"So?" Harry looked at the ring with a raised brow.

"It could be a fake." Ron looked at the ring like it was a viper resting on her hand.

"It isn't." Draco turned to Potter. "I forget that you weren't raised knowing all the pureblood lore. The first Saxon wife of a Malfoy did not like how she came to be bound to the family. Her husband wasn't much happier. They'd both wanted different people. It was all very dramatic and touching. Their son was born small and weak, but he lived. They didn't care much for each other, but keeping their son alive created a bond between them, so, when the king at the time demanded they marry their son off to a less than perfect match, they worked deep magic into the betrothal ring. It can only be given willingly and the chosen recipient is protected from all coercion."

"I still say it's a fake." Ron crossed his arms over his chest.

"It isn't." Hermione glanced at both of their early morning intruders. "I want to be his wife. I've been trying to tell you for months. We made plans and you simply forgot again and again. The only reason I couples my engagement and birthday parties was because I was sure you wouldn't forget my birthday."

"We didn't mean to hurt you." Potter looked distressed. "I don't know why this keeps happening."

Warning bells sounded in Draco's head. He might not care for the buffoons, but they did love Hermione. No one doubted it. He looked at the dejected faces surrounding him, and it all fell into place.

"I'll kill him this time. I swear to Merlin. That bastard." Draco snarled. "Check them for spells. I'll bet any amount of galleons that they've been cursed."

"Why?" Hermione looked over at him even as she cast the diagnostic spells.

"Because he wanted to buy time. He didn't think I'd give you the ring without their approval." Draco stalked around the room. He didn't need to see the results.

"Goddess." Hermione frowned as she found the layered curses that were clinging to her friends. "I didn't think he hated me this much."

"We need to go in." Ron frowned. "Putting curses on aurors is a serious offense."

Potter nodded.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "I will not have this dragged out for the amusement of the masses. I really don't want Rita Skeeter to do another wonderful series of articles about me."

"The law is the law." Harry holstered his wand. "We can't allow this to stand."

"We'll tell my mum." Draco grinned. "He would just buy his way out of trouble with the Ministry, but Mum will torture him for years and years."

"You can't be sure of that." Ron shook his head. "We have a duty to the law."

"This is a family matter, really." Hermione nibbled on her bottom lip. "He didn't do anything to interfere with your work. I like Draco's idea. Let Narcissa have her fun."

Draco watched the three friends argue. He knew what the outcome would be, but he enjoyed watching Hermione eviscerate their arguments with ease. When things dragged on, he stacked her gifts on the coffee table and gathered the balloons together with a simple charm. Hermione was enjoying herself, and that was all that mattered. He drafted a quick note to his mother while Hermione hexed the pair repeatedly.

He winced when Potter squealed. The antlered pig noses deer head was not in any way attractive on the savior of the wizarding world. She was so damn inventive. He winced when Ron fell to the floor unable to stand on his jigging legs. Why did the fools oppose her? After all the years she'd spent digging them out of trouble, she deserved some respect.

He watched his fiancée smile as her friends gave in. It wasn't a nice smile. It was the benevolent sneer of the victor. He couldn't keep his own joy hidden.

The most fearsome and intelligent witch since Morgana herself was his. She came with two annoying prats that were sure to give her a place to focus her ire for the rest of their lives. It was going to be a very good life.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note_**

 _This story was inspired by my genuine love and admiration for another person. I'm not telling you all her name because we are both passed the age where birthdays are frenzied parties, but we still enjoy them and celebrate them and the lives they help us measure. So, yes, I wanted to give a friend a late gift, but I hope you enjoy it as well._

 _For those of you that are eager for the next updates in my active stories, I'm working on them._

 _If you need something to enjoy. Try anything by the glorious Trinka Belle. Her stories are delightful._


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